When Power Corrupts
by Leechi Nuts Elle
Summary: What if Aang chose cosmic energy over Katara in The Guru? What if Katara and Zuko had more time in the Crystal Catacombs? What if Aang gained the unimaginable power of the dark, celestial Aang from his vision? Starting from the 2nd season finale. Revised.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Avatar

Here's just something that I've been thinking about.

**Summary: What if in **"**The Guru**"** Aang had chosen cosmic energy instead of Katara? What if he finished his ****training**** with Guru Pathik and had let go of Katara? What if Katara and Zuko had more time alone in the Crystal Catacombs since Aang was delayed for a few minutes? What would happen if Aang had gained the unimaginable power of the dark, celestial Aang from his vision? A dark and twisted re-write starting from the season 2 finale, The Crossroads of Destiny.**

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"The Thought chakra is located at the crown of the head. It deals with pure cosmic energy and is blocked by earthly attachment. Meditate on what attaches you to this world."

Aang saw Katara. All he could see was Katara…for so long now even.

Katara waterbending, she moved with grace, beauty and power. Amazingly and completely at peace, completely in control. Face flushed from exertion and eyes shut, a thin stream of water was twirling around her. She was smiling and laughing, eyes so bright and so full.

Katara simply standing, calling him to her with a warm smile. She was wearing the necklace that he had made for her when her mother's had been lost. She still has that necklace, he thought. It was very pretty, but it wasn't at all valuable. Of course, Katara didn't cherish it because it was particularly costly, but because it had come from him and that was more than good enough for her.

Katara inches away from him in a dark cave, gazing into his grey ones with her blue…cheeks red, lips anticipating and nervous.

He suddenly came to a realization, it was all for her.

She was the one attaching him to this world, she was the one who kept him balanced, kept his feet on the ground. How could he have possibly dealt with everything that was thrown at him without her by his side? The Fire Nation, his responsibilities, the world he left behind for 100 years, the loss of the Air Nomads…Monk Gyatso. Without her, he'd be a mess, a crazy senseless mess.

She was all things love, beauty, emotion, hope, strength, passion, and faith.

"Now, let all of those attachments go. Let them flow down the river. Forgotten."

"What?" startled, Aang blinked at him. "Why would I let go of Katara? I…I…I love her."

"Learn to let her go, or you cannot let the pure cosmic energy flow in from the universe," the guru told him.

"Why would I choose _cosmic energy_ over Katara? How could it be a bad thing that I feel an attachment to her?" he retorted. "Three chakras ago, that was a good thing!"

"You must learn to let go," Guru Pathik firmly replied.

Aang breathed, uncertain whether he should crucify the old man for even suggesting this, to humor him out of respect or simply and politely reject his proposition.

"I'm sorry," he chose to go with the latter. "but I can't let go of Katara,"

"Aang," the guru started, "to master the Avatar State, you must open all the chakras. Surrender yourself."

"I just…I can't do that, I'm sorry. I love her," he declared. "I belong to her," Aang has come to terms with this now, and suddenly he felt heavy.

"Listen to yourself," the guru cried immediately. "You are not hers. You are the Avatar, you belong to the world."

Aang gaped at him, coming to an awareness that everything that the guru had been saying was right. It was a time of war. Enlightenment will help him become a fully-realized Avatar, it will help him become his most powerful. And the world needed him to be just that.

_(What about Katara? I love her.)_

He saw himself then, seething with anger, tattoos burning with an intensity of a hundred comets…the Avatar at his most powerful. Everyone had run away from him, they feared for their own safety, Sokka and Toph, the sandbenders. This was when he had completely and intentionally let his anger take over him, Appa had just been taken and they found the guilty ones.

He felt so powerful, so dangerous, uncontrollable, unstoppable.

And yet Katara stayed with him. She did not run away like the others did. Her safety was not important to her. Katara took him by the arm and even when he looked down on her full of anger and hate, she enveloped him in her arms and let him stay there.

_What if I hurt her? What if I couldn't control myself and I hurt her?_

The gentle, affectionate look in her eyes whenever she addressed him combined with her kind smile and warm hugs almost made him consider running off with her and taking her to the skies. He and Katara could be free and alone. They could kiss all they want. They would be untouched by worldly matters, which mostly consisted of bloodshed and war.

He knew it was all too selfish yet he couldn't stop himself from thinking such thoughts.

_'I saw you get so upset that you weren't even you anymore. I'm not saying the Avatar state doesn't have incredible and helpful power. But you have to understand, for the people who love you, watching you be in that much rage and pain is really scary.'_

_For the people who love you…_

This was for Katara. He will do this for Katara and for the world that she will live in. And maybe when times are better, when the world is finally at peace, he'll come back to her.

"Okay…I'll try," Aang finally agreed, although still very reluctant, Guru Pathik could tell.

"Good. Now, think of all your attachments and let them go."

Aang entered a weird, surreal state of meditation. He saw Katara's beautiful face in the starry heavens. She was staring at him with two bright ocean eyes, the luminous stars around her can't even compare. And then before he could even fully take in what he was seeing, his world started to spin…the stars too. Blurring his vision of them as Katara vanished with a brief twinkle of light. Aang felt guilty as he watched her disappear before him. And he caught himself when he started to run toward where she had gone. He knew that thoughts like these were wrong, he knew he shouldn't have been thinking them, but he wished that he could disappear with her as well and leave everything behind.

"Let the pure cosmic energy flow," Aang heard the guru say.

The stars and an aurora of light blinded him briefly. He shielded his eyes from the overwhelming brightness. A moment later, he is above the planet. He is truly amazed at the precession of this dream. Did the earth really look like that from above?

The great light solidified beneath his feet into a radiant bridge. There was a massive, dark entity floating at the end of the path, as if waiting for him, beckoning him.

_It was himself._

The entity's airbender tattoos and eyes were gleaming a bright white. In his awe, Aang carefully walked towards it. His tattoos began to shine with an overwhelming white light as well, brighter and brighter the nearer he got to the entity.

The giant, dark Aang descended, a sphere of cosmic energy shimmering between his fingers. Aang is immediately drawn to the power, like a moth to a flame. Enclosed within the sphere, he felt the power surge through his veins, all the power in the world offered to him on a silver platter. Avatar Aang is the Supreme Being, above all human kind, the most powerful individual in the entire world. It was so invigorating, so intoxicating, so electrifying that it hurt.

A vision came to him suddenly, then a high-pitched cry of distress…It was her, it was Katara! Chained to a wall, she was screaming at an unseen captor, wrangling the chains about, demanding to be freed. Aang's immediate reaction was to leap from the hands of his celestial spirit. The sphere of limitless power vanished from its fingers.

Aang ran away from the dark being, wanting to get away from it all and back to his world, to Katara. Behind him, the great spiritf fell to oblivion and faded away with his absence. The path Aang was on began to fade rapidly, until it too, completely disappeared. Dropping him, plunging and screaming towards earth.

"Katara is in danger! I have to go!" with airbender speed, Aang managed to run a decent amount from the guru before Pathik could even react. He slid down the roof of the tower and readied himself to jump.

"No Aang!" the guru cried just before Aang left. "By choosing attachment, you have locked the chakra! If you leave now, you won't be able to go into the Avatar state _at all_!"

The Avatar was at the very edge of the roof. He desperately wanted to throw himself across the temple and back to Ba Sing Se to. But he is helplessly stuck there, unable to move. He slowly turned around to face Guru Pathik, eyes locked on the heavy stone floor. The guru quickly saw how tormented the young boy was and was sympathetic with the choice he must make now. He could only hope that Aang makes the right one…the fate of the entire world, billions of lives, is much more important that of an individual's.

"The world needs you, Aang," the guru sullenly told him.

"But Katara─"

"Why is her life more important than that of another's?" The guru railed before Aang could finish. "You are the Avatar…you must be objective, practical, fair, and detached. It is your destiny,"

'_There's a right way to do this. Practice, study, and discipline.'_

"You're right," Aang gruffly muttered to himself. Katara wanted this for him. "I'll do it, Guru Pathik."

The guru sighed his relief. "You made the right choice, young Avatar. I'm glad."

_'A hundred years! I can't believe it.'_

_'I'm sorry, Aang. Maybe somehow there's a bright side to all this.'_

_'I did get to meet you.'_

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_review please, thank you._


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Avatar

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**CHAPTER 1**

"So…how did it go with the guru?" Toph asked. "Did you master the Avatar State yet?" The great outer wall of Ba Sing Se was just within view for Toph, Aang and Sokka. Only a few more minutes until they arrived at the city.

The Avatar didn't respond, obviously deep in thought, he barely even acknowledging the other two passengers aboard on Appa with him.

"Aang, are you okay?" Sokka asked carefully. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, were you—were you guys talking to me?" he sputtered almost incoherently.

A worried yet at the same time slightly amused expression spread across Sokka's face. He was a bit bewildered by Aang's rather noticeably bizarre composition ever since he picked him up on Chameleon Bay and told him of his vision of Katara.

"_Oh no_, we were talking to the _other_ Avatar!" said Sokka.

"Right," he answered a bit defensively. "I'm sorry guys, I've just been…" Aang tried to sigh his growing uneasiness away as he distractedly fixed and tugged at his collar. "…I don't really know."

"_Okaaay_," Toph replied dubiously. "Did something happen to you while you were on your enlightenment field trip?"

Her question sent Aang into a flutter of awkward fidgets. He resolutely turned away from them to avoid further conversation, simply because he didn't want and felt like he _couldn't_ talk about it with anyone just yet. Right now he had to find Katara.

Toph was persistent though. She needed a direct answer. "Earth to Aang! Take your head from the clouds for one second, will ya!" she bursted out sharply.

"Seriously, Aang, how was it?"

Contemplating on this, Aang surged through his most recent experiences, what had happened in the Eastern Air Temple, what was said, what he learned and ultimately what he _had_ to do. It was still so fresh that it hurt like the darkest realms of the Spirit World just thinking about it.

But remembering what the guru taught to him, Aang took a deep, hard breath and locked all these unnecessary feelings and emotions away. _Forgotten._

The simple flex of his fingers, the clenching and unclenching of his fist put him on a high. The power. Blissful. He smiled to himself.

"It was excellent," he replied a little bit evasively with a meek smile. "I feel excellent."

"Why did they throw you in here!" Katara demanded accusingly. "Oh wait. Let me guess. It's a trap. So when Aang shows up to rescue me, you can finally have him in your little Fire Nation clutches!"

Zuko, crouched on the hard floor of the Crystal Catacombs, looked back at her once with an unreadable expression and then retreated to face the opposite direction again.

This only made Katara angrier. How could he have nothing to say to that! She couldn't restrain herself from continuously walking about, fidgeting and constantly moving relentlessly. It seemed to be the only thing preventing herself from tearing her own hair out in anger and frustration. She couldn't grasp how the Fire Nation prince could stay so calm and still, it was an impossible task and also slightly insulting on her part.

"You're a terrible person, you know that?" Katara couldn't help herself from starting again, "Always following us, hunting the Avatar, trying to capture the world's last hope for peace!" walking to and fro, back and forth across the crystals, heavily gesticulating as she spoke with an almost arrogant determination. "But what do you care. You're the Fire Lord's son. Spreading war and violence and hatred is _in your blood_." She bit out breathlessly and glanced at him from her peripheral view.

Zuko was still in the same crouching position, seemingly oblivious to what Katara had been blurting out all this time.

"Ughhh!" she lashed out in annoyance.

"You don't know what you're talking about," he quietly replied after a few moments without even turning to her.

"I don't? How dare you! You have no idea what this war has put me through! _Me personally_."

Facing the opposite direction, Katara sat on her heels, almost mimicking Zuko. She suddenly felt overwhelmed…and tired, just really tired. "The Fire Nation took my mother away from me."

The grief struck her then. It was raw and fresh. Katara reached for her necklace, as if worried that it wouldn't be there anymore. The tears fell, streamed down her cheeks and soon she began quietly sobbing.

Heaving shallow and uncomfortable breaths, Katara felt a warm weight on her shoulder. "I'm sorry," Zuko's voice was so close, it surprised her. She wiped the tears streaking down her face with the back of her hand and cautiously turned to face him. Incredulously, she felt that he was genuine. She could feel it radiating from him. "That's something we have in common."

When Aang, Toph and Sokka arrived at Ba Sing Se, their first instinct was to head to the palace and consult the Earth King and ask him if he had any idea on Katara's whereabouts. Sokka on the other hand thought it'd be pretty pointless. The king based on their experience with him, he reasoned, wasn't the most reliable person in the world.

"We should just go straight to the house," declared Sokka. "Who knows, Katara might've finished early with her meeting with the Council of Generals and we'll probably find her painting her nails or something girly like that."

Aang agreed and flew Appa to the Upper Ring residences instead of the king's palace. Still, the Avatar was pretty sure of himself and his vision and was not entirely convinced, but heading to the house sounded like the best thing to do right now.

When they arrived at their temporary residence, the house was still being reconstructed from Toph's recent destruction of one wall and no one was in sight.

"Katara?" Sokka called out, Aang and Toph behind him.

Momo appeared out of nowhere and chattered excitedly as if trying to tell them something. Jumping up and down, he tried desperately to grab Aang's attention. He scratched at his boots and climbed his legs to get to his shoulders where he usually rests. "Not now, Momo," Aang distractedly lifted him off of himself and softly placed him on the ground with a pat to the lemur's small head.

"There's no one else here." Toph announced after 'looking through' the house with her seismic sense.

"I _knew _it! We have to find her!" Aang pressed urgently.

With a great deal of urgency, Aang began to head for the door. "What are we waiting for?" he barked at his friends spasmodically.

"Someone's at the—"

Without hearing or paying attention to Toph, Aang slid the door open with enough force to crumble it. He was ready to run with the speed of an airbender with no particular direction and no particular plan when a familiar face presented himself to him. "Hello Avatar! Hello Water Tribe warrior! Hello my tiny friend! We meet again."

Iroh brought a captive Dai Li agent to their front door, explained that Azula was in Ba Sing Se and that she and Long Feng, the king's most trusted adviser, are planning a coup against the Earth King. Aang, Toph and Sokka agreed to work together to save Katara and Zuko who are in her custody and the great city of Ba Sing Se itself. Sokka was at first reluctant when he heard 'Zuko', but with proper convincing from Iroh he eventually complied.

The plan was simple. Toph and Sokka would warn the Earth King about Azula and Long Feng's coup while Iroh and Aang will look for Katara and 'the angry jerk' in the Crystal Catacombs of Old Ba Sing Se.

Soon they were off.

The trip to the catacombs was quiet, a tad awkward even. Neither Iroh nor Aang was speaking, unusual since both were very social and friendly. Aang didn't seem to notice though. He was rather engrossed in this new feeling. The one in his veins, his limbs, his being. It was electric yet frightening at the same time.

Each thrust of his arms forward, to deepen the tunnel, gave a distinct satisfying sense of pleasure. The power—it was perfect, it was bliss, it was all the power in the world. And all it cost him was the girl he's been fighting for. The girl he was so sure he was meant for, his destiny. The girl who saved him from the iceberg, from firebenders, from himself, saved in everyway a person can be saved. The girl that he loves.

Aang abruptly stopped his bending.

"Is something the matter?" asked Iroh, breaking the silence finally.

"Huh?" he felt dazed from a sudden rush of emotions, previously compressed, that were now beginning to boil up to the surface.

"You seem troubled young Avatar," Iroh pressed.

After momentarily losing himself, Aang continued on with creating the tunnel to the catacombs by pushing both fists forward. "Toph thinks you give pretty good advice. And great tea."

"The key to both is proper aging," Iroh responded benevolently. He smiled at him."What's on your mind?"

Aang gave him a wide-eyed look at the question. He didn't exactly know what to tell him, but he needed advice. He needed help. He wasn't sure if the path he chose was the right one. "Okay, there was this guru who helped me master the Avatar State and control this incredible cosmic power," he explained. "But in order to achieve this, I had to let go of the people I love."

Iroh was silent.

"Please say something," Aang told him.

After a fortifying deep breath, Iroh glanced at the airbender beside him. "I am disappointed in you."

Aang tossed a glance back at him, "Sorry,"

"You're apologizing?" came Iroh's reply.

"I'm not sure…am I not suppose to?"

He breathed out a deep sigh in response. "Perfection and power are overrated. Love is ultimately what will save you. It will keep you fighting for the right side. It will keep you devoted…hopeful."

"But without the Avatar State, I can't beat Azula. I can't win this war. I can't save the world."

"Are you sure?" Iroh sighed. "No one is perfect, not even the Avatar. You shouldn't covet perfection. For all our flaws and mistakes are what makes us truly human. And that _humanity_, that certain unbreakable compassion and lack of apathy, _that_ is what will save us."

They continued walking along the path, Aang earthbending while Iroh held out a fire for light. For a long time, Aang was so quiet that it made Iroh wonder if what he told him got through to the boy.

"Does this make me a bad person?" Aang finally spoke up.

Iroh fastened him with a look of discomfort at his question. "Of course not!" he cried. "Sometimes the best of people can make the most horrible of decisions. It's up to you to overcome them. And when you do, you will come to a better place."

"So you—you never saw her again?"

"No, not after she came to me that night."

Katara wrapped her arms tighter around her legs, resting her chin on her knees. They were sitting almost shoulder to shoulder against a thick, shiny pillar of crystal protruding from the catacomb floor. It had been more than a few hours since Zuko was thrown into this place with her and in that small amount of time they actually had gotten to see each other as actual human beings rather than 'the crazy, fire-wielding, stalker prince' and 'the Avatar's waterbending girlfriend', they were Zuko and Katara.

She turned to face him, he looked so tense, unfamiliar and surprisingly _innocent. _Not at all what she thought he'd ever be.

"I'm sorry I called you a terrible person before," she told him ingenuously as she grinds her back against the cold, hard crystal.

"Doesn't matter,"

"It's just that for so long now, whenever I would imagine the face of the enemy, it was your face." Katara continued softly.

"My face…I see," Zuko disconcertedly turned away from her.

"No, no, that's not what I meant!" she uttered apologetically and scooted closer to him as he moved away.

"It's okay," he concluded. "I used to think this scar marked me. The mark of the banished prince, cursed to chase the Avatar forever." Zuko had to look away, "But lately, I've realized I'm free to determine my own destiny, even if I'll never be free of my mark."

"Maybe you could be free of it," Katara began.

"What?"

"I have healing abilities," she told him.

"It's a scar. It can't be healed," he declared sullenly.

Katara mulled that over for a moment. "This," she reached under her shirt and holds up a vial of water, "is water from the Spirit Oasis at the North Pole. It has special properties, so I have been saving it for something important."

The very instant Katara placed her hand on his, the whole of the friendly gesture became wonderfully intimate for Zuko. "I don't know if it would work, but…" she reached up to rest her fingers softly onto the side his face. "Let's try it," Katara insisted.

Zuko swallowed hard and closed his eyes. They were so excitingly close that he could smell her hair. He heard the swish-swoosh of the spirit water bending out of the amulet at the Water Tribe girl's will.

"Wait,"

"What is it?"

"You might need that for something much more important," he mumbled thickly.

"_This _is important I think," she reassured him.

"But," Zuko retorted dolefully. "I don't…" he twisted away from her.

A soft rumble vibrated through the catacombs that Zuko din't notice.

"It's very nice of you…but—it's—" he stumbled on his words as he tried to explain.

Rocks and pebbles soared through the air as a tunnel formed from one of the walls on the farther side of the Crystal Catacombs.

Before Zuko finished, Katara had already propelled herself from the ground and was standing in front of him instead of sitting. Her mouth was wide open. Overjoyed with happiness, she screamed his name. "Aang!"

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_review please, thank you._


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Avatar

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**CHAPTER 2**

She threw her arms around his neck, with enough force to almost send them both stumbling backwards. "I knew you would come!" she gleefully exclaimed, squeezing him hard.

Aang answered with a meek smile and a carefully placed pat to her back.

"Uncle, I don't understand. What are you doing with the Avatar?" Zuko, clearly upset and befuddled, questioned.

"Saving your sorry butt, that's what!" Aang responded sharply. In reply, the Fire Nation prince snarled and tried to attack him, but his uncle grabbed him by the shirt, preventing any unnecessary altercations.

"Aang, don't," Katara softly interjected. Aang flashed her a confused look. "Just don't start with him, okay?"

"Zuko, it's time we talked," said Iroh.

Zuko heaved a stiff, exasperated grunt and shot him an irate glare. "Go help your other friends. We'll catch up with you." Iroh added.

Aang hastily stomped to where the opening of the tunnel was. Katara grabbed onto his wrist as she tried to catch up with him. Just before reaching the tunnel, Katara slowly let go of Aang and turned around. "Will you be okay?" she asked before leaving Iroh and Zuko behind.

Iroh turned to them, "we'll be fine, go!"

She winded her head back to look at them for one last second.

"What were you doing with him?" Aang asked her, clearly bothered.

"We were just talking," she informed him with a hint of discomfort.

"Talking…" he repeated. Katara looked at him, the expression on his face was a not an angry one as she was expecting but rather, surprisingly vacant. "Why were you touching his face?"

"I was just examining his scar," Katara revealed. For some reason, Katara felt the need to explain herself.

"Oh,"

A few meters into the tunnel, Aang and Katara walked in silence. She was worried about him, there's something strange going on.

It was in the way he was carrying himself. He was stiff, uncomfortable and unsure, with a strange stoic way about him. She tried a few times to start conversation by asking him questions about the guru he met up with, but Aang was quickly dismissing her with terse, simple answers.

One minute he would seem upset and the next he'd flash her a weak smile. It was becoming difficult and frustrating for Katara to not know what he was feeling and what he was going through.

They reached the main part of the catacombs and a bright, beautiful waterfall greeted their arrival, they ran across hoping to make good time on their way to their friends. Here Katara tried again. "hey," she quietly started.

He turned to her, seemingly disinterested in the conversation before it even started.

"Is something wrong?" she questioned with a great deal of concern and worry.

"Why does everybody think something's wrong with me?" he absently answered and then smiled. "I'm completely fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," he replied, "everything's perfect, I'm perfect."

Katara stopped dead in her tracks.

"Come on!" Aang called back to her, "we've got to find Sokka and Toph."

She nodded in reply and ran to where he was. "Wait," he placed an arm to stop her from walking any further.

Blue fire in a blaring roar whizzed barely inches above Katara's head when Aang blew the direction of the blast away from her. Across the catacomb stood a young girl with dark hair in Earth Kingdom green, two smoking fingers extended from the attack.

Katara coiled water from the channel around her arms and brought the water crashing down on her. Princess Azula pushed herself backward with ease; short, quick blasts of blue fire gushing from her fingertips. She brought her forearm down in a fierce movement releasing a heavy blow of fire. Katara, scorching heat almost burning her flesh, smashed a wave onto the burning floor and all around her, resulting in steam that hides Azula from her view.

With limited vision, Katara desperately scanned the battleground for Aang, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly, Azula fiercely launched herself from one of the crystal stalactites and out of the steam. From two closed fists, blue balls of fire bursted towards the waterbender. Commanding a swift surge of water, Katara extinguished the attacks while darting and dodging through shallow waters out of Azula's line of fire.

Gathering her element close to her body, Katara readied her stance and braced herself for another series of formidable attacks. The two girls regarded each other; Katara narrowed her eyes at Azula and took a series of quick breaths, waiting for her to make a move.

Just as Azula brought up both her arms to show off terrible feats of her firebending prowess, Aang, without a sound, gracefully landed behind her and knocked her a few feet forward with a simple blast of wind erupting from his splayed fingers.

"Are you hurt?" Aang leapt through the air to where Katara was.

Katara looked behind her; Azula was thrown across the catacombs, unconscious. "I'm fine. Are _you_ okay?" she fretted.

"Never better," and he tossed her a happy smile.

"What do we do with her?" Katara asked urgently.

"She's out cold," Aang replied, nodding to where Azula had landed unconscious, face flat on the ground. "You tired her out."

"No, _you_ knocked her down."

Aang sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.

"We have to turn her in to the authorities," said Katara.

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

Their brief conversation, however, was abruptly interrupted when a small troop of Dai Li agents made their way down from the walls.

"Oh, no," Katara shot Aang a worried look that mimicked his own.

The Dai Li agents scattered across the battlefield, gliding forward to engulf and separate Katara and Aang around two tight formations. Attempts of earth projectiles whizzed towards Aang and Katara, but before each attack could even go airborne, they were disintegrated with a flick of the Avatar's wrist.

Katara noticed how strange and unfamiliar he moves in his earthbending, having a pompous and self-confident disposition to his movements.

Aang dragged his foot creating a line across the earth. Several jagged rocks rose in his command and with sheer force, kicked towards the Dai Li. Massive waves from Katara engulf the few left standing.

"Let's get out of here!" Katara shot out.

"Leaving so soon?" Azula launched herself at them with a menacing smirk of frightening determination.

Sokka, Toph and Momo made their way to the Earth King's palace. On the palace steps, they witnessed the Dai Li 'arresting' General How. Sokka figured that the coup was happening at that very moment.

"We've got to warn the Earth King!"

In the throne room sat the king himself; blissfully unaware of what was going on in and under his city. His pet bear Bosco was by his side as well as two unfamiliar Kyoshi warriors.

Sokka barged in, "Thank goodness we're in time!"

"In time for what?" asked the king.

"Yeah, what are you in time for?" eepeated a rather odd Kyoshi warrior, someone neither Sokka nor Toph was familiar with. "…cutie."

"Uh, I'm kinda involved with Suki."

"Who?" the strange girl asked.

Toph recognized the two forms to be out of place. "They're not the Kyoshi warriors!"

"Sorry to disappoint you,"

The catacombs continue to flood with a formidable array of Dai Li agents. "They're too many!" Katara told Aang.

"No," he punched out several pieces of rock from the ground and projected them towards the impending earthbending agents. "I can do this."

"Very courageous words there, Avatar," the princess sneered. "Watch it. You wouldn't want to disappoint."

She slashed at him, and then brought both her arms down; fire jetting from her limbs raced towards him. Aang built up a defense of rock to shield himself from her vicious attacks while Azula prepared a more precise and powerful blow. More Dai Li agents began to pour in from the ceiling and surround them in their battle.

Katara, busy with her own block of Dai Li to fight, was outnumbered and growing weary. She bent water from the channel, lobbing it at the surrounding earthbenders. They lashed at her, flung sharp rocks, launched earth picks in attempts to pierce her. It was too much. When suddenly, one heavy rock glove punched her from behind the knee, she crumbled to the ground and her water defense was quickly punctured. Another glove socked her in the stomach and she fell over completely.

Just then a viciously bright orange flame thwacked those around her. Two more fire whips licked at her enemies.

She looked up and stared at his face in awe. "Need help?"

Katara was speechless for a moment and then she squealed his name, "Zuko!" a bolt of both surprise and relief waved through her.

"I knew you'd changed!" she exclaimed heartily.

"…I have," came a harsh croak from his throat.

"Thank you," she said referring to the earthbending agents now defeated on the floor.

"You needed help," Zuko answered thoughtfully. "I have to thank you too," he told her.

"What for?"

"For saving me," he told her.

Katara couldn't place what he was referring to, but still said, "Oh…you're very welcome." offering him a small, flustered smile.

Zuko stared at her, it seemed like this was the first time he actually really _looked_ at her. She wasn't the 'Avatar's waterbending girlfriend' anymore who would curse at him and thwart his plans. Spirits, he actually truly _hoped_ that she wasn't his.

As he watched her, the small smile creeping up her mouth, the bead of sweat dripping from her forehead, her wild, undone brown hair, he realized how pretty she was. Never before had he saw her as anything but an obstacle to get to the Avatar.

"Aang needs help," she cried, disrupting his train of thought. "Let's go!"

Aang earthbent the crystals around him: creating a suit of glossy, bright green armor. Earth projectiles simultaneously flew through the air and struck at him but the crystal remained unscathed and intact.

Several more earthly ammunition and gloves made out of stone were hurled at Aang, no serious damage done with his armor but it was severely distracting. Some he managed to destroy whilst in flight, some slip through the lines and successfully hit him, his body, his head. He grunted in frustration and pounded the ground. A few of the aggravating earthbenders were knocked out, most were sent flying, but some refused to back down.

He raced towards them, skating through the earth in his crystal armor, facing them head-on. They jumped out of the way but still, a number of Dai Li, the unlucky and stubborn ones, got trampled and seriously injured.

He was now free of the earthbending agents for the moment and decided to slide across the battlefield to look for Azula, but she was nowhere.

The momentary halt lasted all too soon when more Dai Li agents seemingly materialize from the ceiling and continue their plight against Aang.

While the new comers were roughly bombarding the Avatar, Azula from across the far east of the catacombs, with carefully practiced and precise movements, sent a clap of lightning straight to his chest, shattering the crystal.

The world went hauntingly still. Katara watched in disbelief as Aang flew across the battleground, hit a stalagmite and get buried under burning crystal and rock. "No!"

Time started again and erupted into frightening havoc. "No! No! _No!_" Katara ran to the smoking pile of crystal that was Aang. Dai Li were scattered along the way but she didn't care, she couldn't see anything else. The immediate threat of her enemies was forgotten, her wounds and scratches were forgotten, breathing was forgotten. She was functioning on pure adrenaline.

"Aang! _Please!_" Katara skidded to a stop next to the pile and began mindlessly digging. The sharp, sizzling crystals scrapped and burned her fingers but she hardly even noticed.

"Hello Zuzu," Azula greeted mockingly, and then laughed. "Well isn't that interesting? Looks like you've chosen to betray the Fire Nation, just like Uncle…I'm not going to lie, this doesn't surprise me one bit."

"Azula!" Zuko hissed her name while simultaneously─out of habit─prepared a battle stance. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?"

"Something that _you_ could never do!" she sneered, fiercely charging up another bolt.

* * *

_I'm sorry it ends with another cliffhanger, I thought it was getting too long so I had to cut it there. Thanks for reading!_


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Avatar

* * *

**CHAPTER 3**

Zuko was barely able to redirect the formidable flash of lightning.

He grabbed hold of Azula's two outstretched fingers causing the surge of electricity pass through his body and out his fingertips. He trembled when the rush of pure electric power left him.

Azula pulled her hand from his tight grip. "Nice new trick, brother." Careful to mask her surprise, she pinned him with a repulsed glare.

Zuko doesn't reply and made the first move. He released a jet of seething, orange flame directly at her, which she blocked almost effortlessly and then laughed at his exertion.

Further aggravated, fists ablaze and heart thumping wildly in his chest, Zuko fueled by absolute rage and anger charged at her.

Her painted lips form a satisfied smirk. Zuko was all too predictable: jets of fire, wild strikes, straight on blasts. Always on the offensive he was, never thinking things through…sloppy. Azula simply slid out of the way, twisting gracefully with ease. "Is that all you got?"

Grunting in both annoyance and weariness, Zuko pivoted on his heel to face her. The two began circling each other, with him bent hunched and her with a relaxed and commanding disposition, years of sibling rivalry erupting from the two.

"Really now brother, you have to change it up a bit." She remarked drolly. "I'm always going to be two steps ahead of─"

Going on pure primal instinct and fury, Zuko tackled Azula to the ground, which caught her off guard. They fumbled for the upper hand: punching, kicking, hitting and clawing. They grappled and flipped, spilled and smashed, until Azula pulled herself from the wild jumbled mass of limbs. She hoisted herself up and straightened her green garb.

"Is that what you're reduced to now?" she taunted almost breathlessly. "Fighting like an Earth Kingdom peasant? Where's the _honor_ in that?"

Zuko regained his footing. "Will you just _shut up_!" he hissed through clenched teeth before creating a blaze of fire.

Azula quickly created a massive build up of azure fire with her limbs to match his and rocketed forward.

Two hissing charges of pure energy clashed, resulting in an explosive storm of bright orange and blue. The force threw both of them backwards with enough impact to draw muffled grunts of pain from the two Fire Nation siblings.

Hands burned and scraped, Katara reached the end of the burning pile of crystal and stone, but the Avatar was not underneath it. A puzzled and horrified expression spread across her face. _Where was he?_

In disbelief, she shuffled more tiny pieces of rocks and crystals around as if Aang might be hiding underneath one of them. But before she could react any further, a pillar of rock rose from the ground, painfully plunking her from behind and the collision sent her flying.

In the glowing light of the catacombs she found herself sprawled across the disturbed and uneven ground; she didn't know how long she had been lying there.

There were muffled sounds and voices of battle but Katara could not specifically make up who they were from or what was being said or done. Falling in and out of consciousness, she fought against the darkness.

After awhile Katara began slowly recovering her wakefulness. Her first real thought was of Aang and then came one of herself, how she was hurt, and how her body sourly ached. She rubbed at her eyes: her vision was becoming agonizingly unreliable and blurry. Regaining a hint of her composure, Katara painfully lifted herself up just as the Dai Li begin to surround her. She bent the water from the channel around her to form a tight ring, eight tentacles sprouting from it. Desperately, she grabbed at them, pushed them back, flicked them away but they just kept on coming. _There's too many._

Just then, Aang broke through the catacomb floor from beneath it, tattoos alit. An ethereal glow of white blinded Katara and everyone around her. The Avatar rose almost nearing the high ceiling of Old Ba Sing Se, everyone beneath him was awestruck. Feet were planted stubbornly on the floor, no one could do anything but watch in awe.

Katara felt a small smile creep upon her face and her heart began fluttering in her chest. It was Aang! He was in the Avatar State! She couldn't help but feel proud of him.

"Enough!" an inhuman legion of voices ordered, garnering chills from those gazing up from below. "This battle is _over_!" With one swift motion of his arm a massive wave of combined bending: rock, crystal and water began to consume those beneath him.

The smile on Katara's face quickly faltered as the grim realization occurred to her─the wave was coming towards not only their enemies but her as well; she was no exception this time.

She spotted Zuko from her peripheral view. He was sprawled face first on the ground with Azula a few feet from him in the same predicament. He, along with herself, would also get caught in the carnage.

"Aang! Wait! Stop!" Katara begged him from below. "You _have_ to stop! Please stop!"

Katara's words couldn't penetrate the blaring noise of strong winds, shards of crystal and pieces of jagged rock circling him, assisting him, bending at his will.

"Listen to me, Aang! I'm here!" she tried again, but the Avatar was too high up to hear her pleas. This was going nowhere; her words of reason won't reach him this time.

Her chest dropped at the weight of it all, the pure panic of not being able to soothe him like she usually could. Tears of frustration started to roll down her face.

And she's surprised, suddenly, at how hurt she felt.

Katara bent the immediate water around her into a giant wave that washed away those nearest her. She hopped aboard and headed straight to where Zuko was lying unconscious before Aang could wreck any more havoc and possibly crush them with his wave of elements.

They had to get out of there now unless they'd want Aang's reign of destruction to reach them. "Zuko! Wake up! We need to leave!" She splashed a bit of water on his face garnering only a fit of coughs from him.

With much needed effort, she hoisted Zuko up on her shoulder and carried them both up and out of the Crystal Catacombs on a sprout of water through the waterfall.

Katara couldn't bear leaving Aang alone out there but she told herself that she had no choice in the matter. He wasn't himself and he had no control over the power he wielded. And without her quick thinking Zuko and herself would've gotten seriously trampled.

She reminded herself this over and over, trying to justify her decision to leave him behind.

Taking a deep, sullen breath, she wiped her face with the back of her hand and fought against the urge to go back down to him.

Zuko slowly started to stir awake. "Where…" he tried to push himself forward but a strange pain quickly shot up his arm, preventing any further movements.

"You're awake," Katara said. "Don't try to sit up."

"How long have I been out?" he queried while trying to determine how much damage was done to his body during his duel with Azula. There were cuts and gashes, burns and scorched skin.

"I'm not sure but we've only been here for a few minutes," Katara faced him and saw how badly beaten he was. Slight guilt consumed her; she was too busy accounting for her decision to even access Zuko's condition. "Let me get that,"

Katara started with his arm, bending water around the burnt and swollen area until the water began to glow. And then she had to remove what was left of his shirt to get to his chest. There was a bruise beginning to form near his heart, Katara did what she could with the water and let her hand linger there for moment, feeling his unusually fast heart rate. She opened her mouth to say something.

"The Avatar?" he pressed meaningfully before she could comment on his heartbeat.

"Aang…Aang's still down there," she said, unable to meet his anticipatory gaze.

"Then why are we up here?" he croaked.

"Because─" Katara found her voice caught in her throat.

"Are you saying you left him behind?" Zuko accused blatantly, "With an army of earthbenders? With _Azula_?"

"It's not like─I mean─I didn't have a choice!" Katara burst defensively which merited a look of self-reproach from Zuko.

Her gaze dropped to her lap almost mimicking his expression, "It was getting too chaotic down there and you were out cold and Aang was…he was in the Avatar state and─and he would've killed the both of us if we stayed."

She didn't realize until after the words flew out of her mouth: _he would've killed the both of us_. And in that moment as she sat on the cold, hard catacomb floor with the Fire Nation prince, a surge of unexplained feelings sparking deep inside her, crawling up her skin, heat raging through her like fireflies setting her insides ablaze. The hurt and betrayal eating at her heart.

The two of them were silent for awhile as the words continued to linger in the air. Their eyes met and Zuko's gold could see the sorrow and pain in her blue.

Zuko simply nodded in response, not knowing what words he can utter to reassure her, to make her feel better.

He quickly realized how much thought the waterbender gave to this decision and how much it was agonizing for her to even consider leaving the Avatar alone by himself, let alone actually do it.

"He has no control of himself when he's in the Avatar state," she explained to him sulkily, filling the void that formed between them. "It's not his fault," she involuntarily clutched at her heart as she spoke, trying to convince herself more than the injured boy.

"I understand," Zuko sullenly told her, "And my sister?" he asked, frowning.

"She was knocked out as you were, but I didn't see what happened to her then,"

From a distance, they could somewhat hear smothered sounds of battle from below; crystal shattering, rock grinding against rock and water dousing earth.

"What do we do?" Katara thought aloud, wanting to drown out the sound of whatever was going on down there.

"I guess we have to just wait,"

"Yeah, I guess. Rest while you can," Katara told him, carefully placing his head on her lap. She was still healing Zuko when his eyelids began to droop and soon he was gradually losing wakefulness.

Only a few minutes had passed when she noticed something eerily different. Katara shook Zuko awake from his brief nap. "Do you hear that?"

"Huh?" Zuko mumbled, half awake.

"Do you hear that?" she repeated.

"I hear nothing…"

"Exactly!" she exclaimed.

When they got back down to the main part of the Crystal Catacombs where the battle was fought, it was empty. It was broken in so many ways, but empty. There were no people, no fighting, no movement.

Katara ran across the battlefield, Zuko limping close behind. "Aang!" she called out. Her voice echoed behind her, reverberated off of the scorched and cracked walls.

She spotted him then, on the ground, sitting as if everything is fine, as if there was no fight, perfectly still. Peaceful. Katara rushed to him from behind and knelt close to him. The ground was smooth and even on her knees, a big contrast to the walls.

"…Aang?" Her voice soft, a cautiously placed hand turned him around to face her. Katara sucked in a breath; her world seemed to pause for a moment and then it started again for he was fine. He did not look hurt at all.

She pushed herself to him and wrapped her arms tightly around his body. "You're okay!"

"Of course I am," he told her dryly, "just really tired, that's all."

"Good," she beamed at him, "now let's get out of here!"

Katara helped him up just as Zuko caught up with them. "Where's Azula?"

"Huh?" came Aang's reply. He grabbed at his forehead and rubbed his throbbing temples.

"Azula. You know…my sister," Zuko deadpanned.

"Oh," he sighed. "Uh, I'm not sure," he said, looking around the vast court.

"Actually, Aang, where _is_ everyone? The Dai Li?" Katara piped in.

"I don't know," Aang reluctantly replied. He clenched his fists, and cast his gaze downward.

"I think you do," Zuko remarked quietly.

"I don't, okay?" he told him, peeved.

Katara shot the two boys an irate glare, "Now's not the time, guys," she told them. "Azula already accomplished plenty. She managed to infiltrate the city, get the Dai Li to betray the Earth King, _and_imprison Zuko and in a few hours. We have to get to Toph and Sokka if we want to take the city back from everything's she done so far,"

"You're right," Zuko replied meaningfully.

"Wow, that's an awfully lot for just one person," Aang mumbled thoughtfully, absently tugging at his partially destroyed sleeve.

"And Zuko," Katara began in a perturbed manner, "I told you already, Aang hasn't mastered the Avatar State yet. He usually doesn't remember much when he recovers from it, so just take his word for it okay? We'll figure everything out once we're in the city,"

* * *

_thanks for reading, review please!_


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Avatar

* * *

**CHAPTER 4**

Aang, Zuko and Katara caught up with Sokka and Toph in the Earth King's palace.

While in Ba Sing Se with the king, Toph, Sokka and the Royal Earthbender Guards loyal to the Earth King liberated the city from the impending Dai Li. With Sokka's quick thinking and Toph's earthbending prowess, the greatest Earth Kingdom city was saved from possibly the Fire Nation's most plausible take over scheme yet.

The two young impostors were thrown into Ba Sing Se custody. Long Feng, Grand Secretary of the city and the former head of the Dai Li, was sent back to his old cell. While the few remaining Dai Li agents roaming the city were sought out by Toph's unique earthbending sensory and imprisoned. The Generals, who were previously subdued by the Dai Li agents, were rescued by the Earth King's men from metal cages deep in Old Ba Sing Se.

Before leaving the catacombs, Zuko insisted on going back to the chamber where he and Katara were first imprisoned. To his horror, his uncle was nowhere to be seen. Right before going in after his sister, the Avatar and the waterbender, his uncle was constrained in crystal by Azula's Dai Li agents. Now the crystal constraints were shattered.

When they emerged from the underground city, Aang was too exhausted to contribute to anything. The King, in his anticipation, instructed his servants that the young heroes were to be treated as if they were royalty. Individual bedchambers with high ceilings and windows, heavily embellished furniture and huge four-poster beds were supplied. Katara, along with several of the King's servants and guards, led Aang straight to his for his much needed rest.

In the middle of it all stood a massive bed on a high platform, the biggest Katara had ever laid eyes on, covered in silky sheets of different shades of green.

"Wow…" Aang uttered in awe. Katara watched as he exuberantly plowed himself onto the soft bed, laughing and smiling.

"I'll see you in the morning?" despite everything, Katara couldn't help but giggle too.

Aang's smile and preoccupation with his giant bed quickly began to dissolve. He considered Katara for a moment. "Yeah, maybe," Aang muttered.

"Maybe?" Katara asked him softly, disheartened.

"If I feel fine by then, yeah," he mumbled dryly, sprawled across the bed.

"I just really think that we should…talk," Katara persisted coolly.

"Talk?" he echoed, frowning. "About what?"

"Well…_you_," she said. "I'm worried about you. Aang…when I saw you like that─"

"Don't be," he insisted, interrupting her. "I'm fine."

Katara smiled back. "Just…" she started. "Tomorrow."

"Okay, tomorrow." Aang gave in.

He watched the high ceiling as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. The thought of talking to Katara with himself as the main topic was a bit unnerving. He wasn't exactly keen on the idea of telling her about what had _really_ happened in the catacombs and with the guru. He knew that he should tell Katara maybe sometime in the future. She at least deserved that.

It was tiring to even think about it and everything was just all too complicated right now.

When Aang finally saw her for the first time since his ordeal with Guru Pathik, there was nothing. She had enveloped him in an embrace so fierce and so loving, yet still there was nothing.

No butterflies, no blood rushing to his cheeks, no erratic heartbeats. Nothing.

He had expected a barrage of emotions, thoughts and unsaid words. As if all that was said and done at the Air Temple would wear off with just the simple sight of her, and that he would come back to her completely. He actually honestly looked forward to this, really hoped for it. But there was nothing, only a string of confusion and a tiny hint of what used to be there. He reached for them, desperately held on to them as they float away into nothingness.

Katara had looked at him with such sad eyes but nonetheless still bright. And the doubts regarding his decision were again, to his annoyance, beginning to painfully claw its way to the surface. He shut his eyes tightly and shook his head. None of that should be in his thoughts right now, none of that should matter. He already had promised himself that it shouldn't. He wasn't going to mind her. He wasn't going to pay attention. He was simply going to forget…and sell himself.

What he had experienced in Old Ba Sing Se was, simply put, _exhilarating_. Aang had been in this state before, but this recent experience was nothing like that. In all of his experiences in the Avatar State, it felt like either Avatar Roku and all his past lives or the Avatar Spirit itself was at least aiding him, controlling him. He was never in complete control of himself and he never felt that powerful in all his life. It was absolutely electrifying. Even now as he was lying on the heavily embellished and slightly uncomfortable bed coverings, out of the Avatar State and doing nothing, he could feel the power pumping in his blood, prodding at him, clouding his mind as he felt his lips form a smile. _Cosmic energy, wow…_

"I still can't believe Zuko's on our side now," Sokka mumbled thickly.

"Well believe it," Katara retorted dismissively, "he saved me today,"

"Hey, I'm just saying," Sokka shrugged. "I mean, he _is_ Fire Nation. Everyone from there is, you know, evil…and bad and stuff,"

"Oh, I see. So when he was, _you know_, helping Aang and I defeat Azula…he was being _evil_," Katara released a sardonic jab at Sokka, irritated by her brother's racism.

"Relax, relax, Katara. I'm sure Snoozles here didn't mean any harm," Toph contributed with a slight wave of her hand. "Where's the hothead, anyway?"

"_Zuko_ is in healing," Katara told them, aggravated. "He was badly hurt,"

"Yeah, 'kay, whatever," Toph rose from where she was perched with a shrug. "This is getting boring. I'm out,"

"Well, be sure to be back before sun down!" she called out. "The Earth King invited us to have supper with him,"

"Oh joy! That's something to really look forward to!" she exaggerated with mock glee stopping, just before the parlor's massive embellished doors. "Dinner with a room full of uptight adults, scrutinizing our every move, imposing _manners_ on us, wow!"

"Yes, Toph, we get it," Sokka groaned good-naturedly. "You have a strong dislike of all things high society, blah blah blah."

"That's right," Toph answered rather obnoxiously, "you would too if you lived my life,"

Sokka shrugged just as Toph left the room.

Katara sat comfortably on the soft, plush cushion, blindly regarding her new Earth Kingdom attire and the bandages that covered her underneath them. Bruised and sore from yesterday's ordeal, Katara absently ran her fingers through the fine silk and the colorful embroidery on its hem. The palace attendants presented her with this custom-made dress as a gift because her old one got ruined during the heroic battle of Old Ba Sing Se.

From a distance, it would seem that Katara's attention was solely on her new dress but her mind was someplace distant. Although she hasn't voiced it out loud since Zuko, Katara couldn't stop obsessing over what happened with Aang.

She had already accepted that the Avatar State and all its power was a part of him. That it would never leave him, but it was terrifying to see him in that much rage and pain.

The soft caressing of her new dress was now becoming violent clamps that threatened to destroy the delicate fabric. She kneaded her thighs with so much force and determination, as if by doing this she could pour every bit of uncertainty, every bit of bitterness out.

As far as Katara could remember, she was always the one able to soothe Aang whenever he was like that. She was there to calm him down, to take care of him, to make him feel better. And in the catacombs, when she tried, when she begged and when she cried, he wouldn't budge and he wouldn't listen.

_But it wasn't his fault. It's unfair of me to blame him or to even feel this way._

The disturbing image flashed through her for what felt like the millionth time. Aang glowing, the cave vibrating in sync with every slight move he made, the initial confusion and sudden realization, the metallic smell of pain floating around her…

_It's not his fault. Let it go._

"So, what's bothering you?" said Sokka, causing Katara to let out a small yelp of surprise.

She gaped at him in confusion, "What?" Katara asked him, "Why do you think something's bothering me?"

"Katara, _come on_," Sokka snorted, dramatically narrowing his eyes at her.

"Uh…why are you looking at me like that?" Katara groaned, almost bursting out in laughter at her brother's ridiculous expression.

"_Come on_," he challenged, scrunching up his face even more.

"Sokka, you look like you need to use the bathroom!" she half groaned, half laughed. "Not a very pretty sight,"

"That's not the point!" he blared, garnering a few more unintended chuckles from his little sister. "Katara," Sokka started, his tone surprising her. "I can tell you're upset. What's the matter?"

"Besides the fact that Aang has a bigger room than all of us?"

"His room _is_ awfully big," Sokka drawled, rubbing his chin in thought. "But yeah, besides that,"

Katara played with her hair, twisting the chocolate locks in her fingers.

"Is it Zuko?"

"No," Katara said. "I told you already, he's─"

"Yeah, yeah, he's good now." Sokka surmised, interrupting her. "So what was it then? You defeated Azula. You saved the Earth Kingdom! Why are you…I don't know…sad and stuff?"

"It's just…I don't really, I mean…" she cast her gaze downward.

Sokka sighed when it became evident to him that she didn't plan to continue,"It's fine if you don't wanna talk now," he told her. "Whenever you're ready."

"Thanks, Sokka," she beamed at him. "You know sometimes, you can be a really great brother."

"I try," he snorted and rested his chin on his palm. "I'll always be here for you, Katara. I mean even though I'm…like this" he pointed to himself theatrically, "I really _do _care."

"I know that," Katara admitted casually, surprised at her brother's sudden emotional fit.

"And so do Toph and Aang," Sokka added.

Katara froze and wrapped her arms tightly around herself.

"Why? You don't think Toph's up for these stuff?" he surmised knowingly, sensing her immediate reaction. "She's rough around the edges but—"

"It's not that, Sokka…"

"Huh?" Then what?"

"Nothing,"

Katara found herself being led into another one of the palace's majestic rooms by several of the royal attendees. It was not the striking green of the tapestries on the wall that caught her attention, nor was it the splendidly unfamiliar delicacies splayed across the great dining table. It was the Aang's, who sat diagonally from King Kuei, weird expression.

It had only been a day since they last saw each other but she was so used to seeing him every single hour of every day that it felt like a lifetime.

"Look at all the food!" Sokka exclaimed bringing both hands together in a brief applause.

"Meh, I've had better," Toph responded with a nonchalant shrug.

"Welcome young heroes!" the king called out merrily. "Sit wherever you please."

Out of habit and given without much thought, Katara sat beside Aang while Toph and Sokka sat on the opposite side of the table.

Aang stiffened at her presence.

"Hi," she sighed with a gentle smile.

"Hi,"

"Didn't get to see you yesterday,"

"Sorry, I was still very tired."

"Oh," she said thickly. "It's fine."

It was apparent that Katara was not happy with this, but there was an unfamiliar and strange about him sitting there right now that prevented her from giving into the striking notion of bombarding him with questions. Katara wasn't stupid though, clearly Aang was trying to avoid having this specific conversation with her for reasons she has yet to figure out. But just like Sokka, she'll just have to wait until he's ready to open up to her. So for the second time today she told herself to just let it go.

Aang swallowed.

He really didn't want to tell her anything, to tell _anyone_ anything in fact. They would just judge him for the path he chose, which he now deemed right. No one can ever understand the position he was in. And a little part of him, a tiny glimpse of his former self didn't want to admit what he did because it would hurt her.

"I see someone's missing from your group," the king noted.

"Oh, Zuko's still resting from yesterday's battle." Katara informed him. "I apologize on his behalf."

"No worries," the Earth King responded. "I sure hope he's better by this week's banquet."

"Banquet?" Sokka prompted, frozen in the act of bringing food to his mouth. "What banquet?"

"A simple celebration in your honor of course!" The king supplied. "I was just informing Avatar Aang of this before you came in."

Katara turned to look at Aang at the mention of his name.

"Another stuffy party?" Toph half groaned, half sighed.

"With all due respect, I don't think a banquet's all that necessary, King Kuei." Katara earnestly told him. "Your kindness, this wonderful dinner and all that you've given us is more than enough."

"None sense!" he blasted good-heartedly. "You young ones deserve it! You saved my city…possibly the whole Earth Kingdom! I owe you that much,"

"Will there be more of this in the said banquet?" Sokka inquired, holding up a strange but delicious looking piece of meat.

"Sokka!" Katara hissed.

"What?" he mumbled unapologetically, mouth stuffed from the hasty eating.

"I think it's a good idea," Aang contributed suddenly.

"_See,_" the king remarked. "The Avatar himself approves!"

"It'll be a lot of fun, guys," said Aang. "You'll see!"

* * *

_thanks for reading! review?_


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Avatar

* * *

**CHAPTER 5**

The uneasiness was taking its toll on Aang.

A few days had passed with little progress. Yes, the awkwardness with Katara seemed to have lifted a bit. And he was becoming more like himself with each passing day. But even with this he felt alone with no one to talk to. He still hadn't mentioned what had happened with Guru Pathik to anyone aside from Iroh.

Aang found himself at the throne room one day alone with the king and a couple of his guard. Even though he didn't particularly like the Earth King that much he felt like he was impartial enough to consult.

Out of nowhere he asked, "How long have you been king?"

"Since I was 13," the king responded. "Why do you ask?"

"Nothing, really…curiosity I suppose," Aang said. "How is it then?"

The king looked a bit taken aback by his question. "Oh, it's quite difficult. Especially when I was younger. Having that much power over people at a young age—well I'm sure you know."

"Sure,"

"I was so naïve, nearly everyone in this palace could take advantage of me for whatever they had in mind!"

Aang didn't find this hard to imagine.

"I was signing bills left and right without knowing what they meant,"

Aang raised an eyebrow.

"Oh yes, almost gave away royal estate back then!" he cried. "That's probably around the same time Long Feng came in. Of course at the time I had no idea what went on in his head. Trusted him completely…with everything!"

Aang found this all entirely useless. "Right then, er, have a good day King Kuei!"

He walked about the palace corridors and spotted Zuko through an open door, reading a scroll. Zuko had seen him as well. He thought of approaching him but decided against it, instead the two shared a quick and awkward nod as greeting and Aang went on his way. He was at the garden now sitting with his back to the fountain. If only someone like Iroh were here, he seemed to know all the answers. Then it hit him. Why hadn't he thought of it before? There _was_ someone he could talk to!

Aang concentrated on meditating and before long he was in the familiar grey swamp.

"Hello Aang,"

"Avatar Roku," Aang began. "I need your advice."

Roku simply smiled at him to go on.

"I've mastered the Avatar State,"

"Yes, I could tell,"

"You could tell?"

Roku nodded. "How?"

"Simple, when you accessed it the other day, it was you who was in control of your actions. Not I nor any other past Avatar."

"Oh,"

"I am proud of you," Roku gave him that same warm smile. "What did you want to ask me, young Avatar?"

Aang suddenly felt guilty. "The manner in which I mastered it…" said Aang. "It was unconventional I guess,"

"What do you mean?"

"I was with this guru and he said that in order for me to master the Avatar State I had to let go of my earthly attachments, meaning my love for Katara."

Roku seemed to take this in but did not reply. Aang went on, "I let her go. I don't feel love for her anymore. And in exchange, I gain this power. And I love it…so far."

Roku did not reply again.

"So I was wondering if this was the right thing to do," said Aang. "Someone already told me it wasn't, but I'm convinced I'm right in doing this. I mean it's for the world now, isn't it?"

A flash of fear registered on Roku's face but it was quick and Aang was lucky to catch it.

"In my opinion attachment is important for Avatars, Aang,"

Aang's face faltered. Roku was against him just like Iroh was.

"Earthly attachment, especially love, is one of things that make Avatars human, I believe. Without it, without emotions, we're nothing but a shell for the immortal Avatar Spirit."

"Why is that so bad? I actually think it'll make us more powerful,"

"It's _bad _because if we are not human, how can we relate to the people? How can we protect them if we feel nothing for them? This is the sole purpose of the Avatar, Aang, you must understand. This is why the Avatar is not an immortal god who is impartial to all human concerns and emotions."

Aang couldn't speak.

"I can't undo what you've done," said Roku. "But you can—"

Aang stood up, "I think it's time for me to leave,"

Roku stood up as well, looking like he wanted to stop him.

"Goodbye Roku,"

Aang was back on the garden now his back to the fountain still. It was nearing twilight. The banquet will begin soon he needed to get ready.

* * *

"This is unreal!" said Sokka. "I've never seen so much food in one room."

"_Simple_ celebration huh?" said Toph. "What is up with these people…right Sokka? Aang? Katara?"

They muttered their agreement and started laughing.

Zuko suddenly felt like he was intruding on something shared only by friends. Katara seemed to spot this.

"We'll go ahead," Katara dragged a very uncomfortable looking Zuko to the buffet table.

Aang took a quick look around the room. The banquet was held in the same large room where Bosco's birthday celebration took place. A long table covered in an emerald green tablecloth took up most of the chamber. Guests of different shapes and sizes littered the room, wearing bright extravagant robes and chatting loudly about their latest conquests.

"I recently purchased an antique headdress belonging to Avatar Kyoshi herself!" Aang overheard a plump middle-aged woman boast to a group of colorful women and a bearded old man. "Of course it was too precious to be displayed out in the open so I keep it in an air tight metal box. Under lock and key, of course."

"Yes, of course!" they replied.

"What's the purpose then?" asked Aang.

"What do you mean what's the purpose?" the plump woman said, raising a manicured eyebrow.

"Why did you buy it when you can't even see, touch, or use it?"

"Use it? Oh my, never, child!" she said, looking at him with wide eyes as if he suggested eating the headdress and topping it with fried tomatoes.

Aang stared up blankly at the grownups. In his formal Earth Kingdom clothing and with a hat he could pass for a normal boy. He started to leave when Sokka came fumbling his way.

"Aang! Aang!" he called. "You should try this pudding! I don't know what it is but it's absolutely spectacular! There's no meat in it too, well at least I think there isn't."

"Aang?" the plump lady stared at him inquisitively. "You can't be Avatar Aang, can you?"

"The one and only!" Sokka replied for him, hooking an arm around his neck. Aang smiled a weak smile that was more of a grimace.

"Oh splendid! Just splendid!" exclaimed the woman. "I knew you were young but I didn't think—Well, anyway, we've all heard everything about your rescue of Ba Sing Se of course!"

"Yes, of course!" nodded the other women.

"Marvelous job! We must thank you!"

"It was…no problem," he told them. "Just, er, doing my job…?"

"Non sense! Stop being humble. Heroic is what it is! And for someone your age and inexperience," cried a tall woman from the group.

"Inexperience?"

"This whole party is for you!" said another, ignoring him.

"Right," Aang felt claustrophobic as more and more of the group, and others who were near enough to overhear, were starting to crowd around him and Sokka, bearing huge grins and thank yous.

"I'll just go over there now," he told them, vaguely pointing to his left. "Let's go Sokka."

But wherever Aang went that night there were bound to be people waving, smiling, and shaking his hand or even downright hugging him or kissing him on his cheeks. He spotted Toph about half-way down his path and, with Sokka, started making his way to her when an old man blocked his path.

"Avatar Aang! A pleasure!"

"Hi,"

"I would like to thank you on behalf of myself and my family for saving Ba Sing Se and—" "You're welcome," Aang replied.

"If it wasn't for you that wretched Fire Nation princess would've enslaved us all!" the old man cried. "Even us from the upper circle! Unheard of!"

"Right," said Aang, his head throbbing. "Well, er, you're welcome and have a great night."

"Yes! Truly!"

Aang looked around and suddenly Toph was not there anymore and Sokka was not by his side. The crowd was starting to close in on him again and he felt nauseous. They were bombarding him with their gratitude, their questions, and their requests. Two generals, several stuck-up middle-aged women, and a number of curious noblemen later, Aang found Katara and Zuko seated by themselves on one side of the table and with Toph on the other. He sat next to Toph.

"There you are!" said Katara. "You look pretty pale…"

"These people are—"

"Incredibly annoying?" Toph continued for him.

He nodded: glad to be sitting down as his nausea was growing every minute he spent standing and walking.

"'_It'll be fun guys you'll see!_'" she mimicked an earlier conversation. "Seems like a load of bisoncrap now, doesn't it?"

"I thought you loved making friends, Aang?" asked Katara. "I assumed you'd be right at home. You're pretty good at friendly conversation."

Aang shook his head, he felt a massive headache forming on top of the bad one already talking place.

"Oh Avatar, there you are!" cried a middle-aged lady in purple garments.

Aang groaned.

"You slipped away before I found my niece! But not to worry I spotted you right away," she smiled. "Avatar, this is my niece, Su Mei."

"Charmed," Su Mei held out her hand.

Aang shook it halfheartedly. "Yeah, me too."

"Lovely, isn't she?" cried the woman. "You are the same age I think!" her aunt exclaimed despite Su Mei looking at least four to five years older.

"I'm sure," Katara mumbled under her breath.

"Sorry?" Su Mei said.

Katara looked away.

"Oh! This is a delightful song! Just delightful!" Su Mei exclaimed. "Come on we must dance!"

"Dance?" Aang gulped. "Er, I'm in the staying put mood right now. My head's killing me and I'm really n—"

Su Mei grabbed his arm. "Nevermind that!"

Aang was dragged to the dance floor. Su Mei was taller than him, which made everything all the more awkward. She placed his hand on her waist and took hold of the other. She smiled at him and he tried to return the smile. They were turning and spinning and swaying and people were jostling them, hitting them and they were turning again, and turning some more.

"Isn't this nice?" she asked. Aang could only give her a half-nod.

His world was spinning and his vision was blurring.

"I think I should sit back down," he told her.

"No, just a few more seconds," said Su Mei, craning her long neck to look at a group of teenage girls.

"No really, I think I should be sitting down,"

"The moment they turn their heads, you may sit Avatar Aang," she indicated to the group of girls.

Su Mei realized a second too late that she was unwise in forcing Aang to dance with her.

"MY ROBES!"

More than a dozen pairs of eyes were fixed upon the scene, most of which came from a group of teenage girls not far from the pair.

"THEY'RE RUINED!"

"Sorry," Aang weakly replied.

Su Mei threw herself to the nearest powder room with her aunt on her tail.

A high-pitched laughter came in loud roars. "Aang, did you just—did you just vomit on that snooty girl?" said Toph pushing through the crowd in a fit of laughter.

Aang stumbled and landed on his hands and knees. Katara came running to his side placing an arm around his shoulders to try to lift him into a standing position. She did so with him leaning on her and placed both hands lightly on his neck.

"You're burning up,"

Aang couldn't see anything, his eyelids were extremely heavy and so was the rest of him.

* * *

_reviews are greatly appreciated! I hope you guys get where I'm trying to go ;-)_


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